Human Transformations Unit 1

a well-developed brain

World history examines how past generations have surmounted challenges and offers insights for future courses of action.

They made more use of shelter and fire and developed warmer clothing.

Neolithic people studied the natural world to increase their understanding of the spiritual world.

Growing wealth and power led to suspicion, envy, and sometimes warfare among civilizations.

Europe, Australia, the Americas, East Asian islands

the nomadic hunter-gatherer groups owned few possessions and probably had no concept of private property.

Ritual burials of early hominids with food and possessions suggest that they believed in an afterlife.

several finely shaped bone needles

a large fire pit, three broken projectile points, ten worn-out scrapers, and multiple fragments of burnt bone

Agriculturalists and pastoralists had to exercise careful management of earth's natural resources to avoid depleting them.

Ground-stone tools improved so much in quality that they rendered chipped-stone tools obsolete.

the assurance of an adequate, constant food supply

landowners

Agricultural societies could afford to support specialist artisans by trading excess food for goods and services.

the amount of his personal wealth

Specialized labor contributed to the rise of social classes with products that customers bought for their prestige value.

The nation became a giant bureaucracy, with villages responsible to regions, which were responsible to the central government.

The finished public projects and increased population required a more complex, centralized government to provide leadership

control over their real and personal property

the evaluation of a dead person's soul by the gods

inscriptions of images on thin reed-based material

The Mesopotamians invented cuneiform, while the Egyptians did not.

He developed a law code that punished criminals.

rule by a council of religious authorities

the Shang

Both the Phoenicians and the Chinese developed writing systems that would have lasting effects

Phoenician

The Olmecs did not build their society close to a river, while the Chavín did.

Ancient Chinese civilization had a five-part social hierarchy.

"old stone" era. Most of the tools found so far have been made of stone. Most of these "tools" are very crudely shaped and only recognized as "tools" because of the friction marks indicating wear

Cooling period Also known as the last Ice Age 60-15 thousand yrs ago Improved tools and clothing (constructed to warm and insulate the body) Shelters (such as caves and huts with hearths for fire)

"middle stone" era began 12 thousand yrs ago Rate of innovation sped up More sophisticated tools, bone tools, pottery and basket ware, rafts, dug out canoes, warfare, domestic animals

"new stone" era Neolithic people studied the natural world to increase their understanding of the spiritual world. Growing wealth and power led to suspicion, envy, and sometimes warfare among civilizations.

"To ensure a more reliable food source, many societies adopted agriculture and pastoralism as their primary economies" known as Neolithic revolution

Migrated seasonally to provide their animals with fresh grazing and fodder · It left these societies at an economical disadvantage in comparison to agricultural and agricultural-pastoral societies · Not many became advanced Civs · Those that did, only did so after only after adopting agriculture (like the Hebrews)

· Located in Southwest Asia · Modern day Turkey · Constructed as a fortress with no streets and no ground level entrances o Inhabitants used their rooftops to move around the city and ladders to descend into living quarters · Wealthy agricultural town with a thriving obsidian trade · Some homes have artwork or novelty items that serve no functional purpose but to showcase owner's ability to own them · Religious shrines were one for every two houses o Had powerful figurines, such as bulls and leopards and various gods and goddesses o Many of these figurines were monumentally fat, pregnant women who could only symbolize fertility goddesses o PARTICULAR INTEREST IN THE CYCLE OF LIFE, DEATH AND RENEWED LIFE

· 4000-3000 BCE, metallurgy breakthrough in southwest Asia and china (almost simultaneously). Artisans could now make bronze o By mixing copper and tin · Spread quickly · Brought stone age to an end · Helped human kind until 1200 BCE, when iron made development and rendered bronze obsolete

· King who united upper and lower Egypt · Menes began the first dynasty · The Early Dynastic era · Followed by the old kingdom · Then the 1st intermediate Period · Then the Middle Kingdom · Then 2nd intermediate Period · Then invaded by Hyksos · Then the New Kingdom

· One of the first written literature · Not entirely fictional, but fantastical · Tells adventures of a man named Gilgamesh o In real life, name was Bilgames o Came from part of Sumeria called Uruk o Military man, and leader o His life became mythical because of his prowess in battle · In poem, Gil, is touched by the gods o Starts out as a flawed individual and is tough on his ppl o His ppl pray for divine intervention and it comes in the form of ENDIKU § Who is sent to battle him. Gilgamesh wins and becomes best friends with ENDIKU § They get on the wrong side of a goddess and Endiku gives up his life and § Shows heavenly afterlife and describes it before departing to his death

• The principle of divine power they believed was invested in their monarch • Should the monarch behave badly or govern poorly, this could be "disavowed" and bestowed upon a more fitting ruler

• Exemplifies the use of verse to convey ideas in the ancient Chinese culture

• "If people did not respect or care for their ancestors (weather dead or alive), it was believed that they would fail or run into desperate trouble. Reinforcing the patriarchal nature of Chinese society, the oldest man in each family assumed control over decision-making"